Bengal results highlights: Suvendu Adhikari defeats Mamata Banerjee by 1956 vote

Early trends suggest that the ruling Trinamool government may be back to power in West Bengal. However, party's supremo and the state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee was trailing behind BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who was once the former's close aide. The two have contested from the Nandigram seat.

As the ruling TMC took lead in early trends of West Bengal election results, the Shi Sena on Sunday potshots at the BJP that had vowed to win on over 200 seats. "Those claiming that there would be political developments in Maharashtra after May 2 should also remember that tremors will also be felt in Delhi,” Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said in his weekly column ‘Rokthok’ in Saamana.

BJP heavyweight Swapan Dasgupta was trailing in West Bengal's Tarakeswar assembly constituency by a margin of 6,107 votes, according to figures on the Election Commission website, as of 11:52am. Trinamool Congress's Ramendu Sinharay is leading on the seat.

Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and PWD minister Aroop Biswas is leading from Tollygunge assembly constituency, which has witnessed a high-stake battle this time, while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Babul Supriyo is trailing.

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday exuded confidence that his party will form the next government in West Bengal. "We will cross the magic figure by evening. I am sure that we will form the next government in Bengal," Vijayvargiya, who is also the BJP's Bengal minder, was quoted as saying by PTI.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata was trailing by 8,201 votes on the key Nandigram seat as of 11:20am, according to latest figures available on the Election Commission's website. TMC's supremo's former aide who is the BJP challenger Suvendu Adhikari is leading on the seat, which he won in the 2016 assembly elections.

As vote counting for assembly elections in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry is underway amid the worrisome second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said today's victories will be pyrrhic as what matters at the moment is saving lives.

The ruling TMC crosses the majority mark as trends on early rounds of counting. Mamata Banerjee's party was ahead in 162 seats and the BJP was leading in 89 seats at 10:54 am.

According to trends on C Voter, Mamata Banerjee 's TMC is close to crossing the majority mark. At 10:45am, the TMC was leads 146 seats while the BJP was ahead in 85 seats.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who contested from the Nandigram hotseat, instead of her traditional Bhawanipore seat, for the first time is trailing behind while her former aide Suvendu Adhikari who has been fielded by the BJP against her is leading.

BJP's Suvendu Adhikari is leading ahead of chief minister Mamata Banrejee from the Nandigram hotseat by at least 3,000 votes, according to counting trends as of 10am.

Here's a tally of who is leading on which seat in West Bengal, according to latest trends.

TMC leading in Maldaha, where the Congress won in 2016 Cong with a margin of 33,309 votes. Veteran TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim is leading ahead of Congress's Md Mukhtar from Kolkata Port. The ruling party has also taken lead in Sitalkuchi where central forces had shot four villagers dead.

According to figures available at on Election Commission of India website, the Trinamool Congress was leading in nine seats while the BJP was ahead three seats as of 9:35am.

The TMC and challenger BJP are locked in a neck-and-neck contest in West Bengal as counting of postal ballots is underway, with the ruling party having a slight edge, news agency PTI cited officials as saying. While the TMC was leading in 64 constituencies, the BJP in 60 and the Left-Congress-ISF candidates are leading in three places, the agency said.

The Trinamool Congress is leading in at least six seats while the BJP is ahead in three, according to early trends by C Voter.

Even as TMC leads in early trends, political commentator Biswanath Chakraborty, said that it must be noted that trends based on postal ballots are very preliminary and do not reflect what's actually in store. "We have to wait for EVM," he added.

Here's a look at stats from postal ballot early counting trends (110 / 294 seats), according to local reports.

Trinamool Congress leading in 55 assembly seats

Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in 52 seats

Left, Congres and ISF together ahead in 3 seats.

Very early leads from pollster C voter are in. At present Mamata Banerjee-led- TMC is leading in one seat while the opposition is ahead in three. Follow for more updates.

Pollsters have projected a cliffhanger in West Bengal with different exit polls predicting win for TMC or BJP with a slim margin. According to India Today-My Axis India, the BJP is likely to win 134-160 seats whereas the Trinamool Congress (TMC) may come a close second with a win in 130-156 constituencies. The ABP C Voter exit poll, on the other hand, has predicted a clear majority for TMC. The ruling party is likely to win 152-164 seats while the opposition BJP may secure 109-121 seats, it said. Republic CNX predictions leaned towards the BJP, predicted its win on 138-148 seats and TMC’s victory on 128-138 seats. TV9-Polstrat and News 24 Today’s Chanakya, on the other hand, have predicted a clear majority for TMC followed by BJP.

Even as Mamata Banerjee called it a "smiley election" and is confident for securing the chief ministerial post for the third time, the opposition BJP has claimed that it would win a clear majority of over 200 seats.

Counting of votes for West Bengal poll results begins. A key battle to watch as BJP looks to form the next government in the state and Trinamool Congress aims to come to power for the third time in a row.

With the counting of votes polled in West Bengal assembly elections set to begin in a few minutes, officials were seen reaching the counting centres.